The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1887-02-02
] healthy parents. But did !

tuF66 S6u6IdtlOic, cause WOULD De
found. For in some one or more OF
their progenitors, the seeds of a
predis position TO this pathological
condition had been sown; though
| from cause, lay dormant for
several generations.
The law which rules this force,
we can not demonstrate no more
than can we that which ne call
form force, which often repeats,
type features of persons, of the
same family, who existed several
generations past. Twill visit the
sins of the wicked to the third and
fourth generation saith the Lord.'
This seemingly, unjust punish.
ment, of the innocent for crimes Of
the guilty. is reconciled by the sup.
posed immutability of the older Law
of heredity. Possibly the divine
writer's of the pentateuch, may
have enunciated such yisitations
from their observations of the un.
changeable laws of transmission.
Again from the same authority
we read that "you can not gather
figs from the vine nor grapes from
the thorn tree" This aphorism
6if | may be allowed the exRression)
contains the central truth; that ev
cry thing in the animal and vege
table kingdom, transmits its kind
and none other; though often mod
flied, for good or bad, by certain
conditions.
Without proceeding farther with
the idea that like beget likes ant
that like causes produce like effects
! call your attention to the fact
that the insane of the American
people, is not from the best infor
nation tobe had, over twenty pei
cent. of netvously afflicted.
Every physician of even moder
ate practice is perplexed with one
or more Of this class of patients
from week to week, and from yeal
to year, where the most crucial ex.
aminations fail to detect, Other
than slight functional derange
men;s. The increased number o
this class of patients is still mad,
more apparent from the increased
literature on the subject, as scarce
ly medical periodical of this OF
the old countries fails to give us an
article upon some peculiar form o.
nervous disease. These make suf
ficient impression upon the read
ing physician, as toextend his in
vestigations in all obscure case.
presented, and he finds many more
of this class of malads than ever
before dreamed of in his philoso
ply"
As before mentioned, there are
thirty per cent. Of the insane who
have acquired that condition from
disease, and habits, which ulti
mately involve the nervous system
The cause in this class of patients
is what l was pleased to call. phys
ical in contradistinction to heredi
tary.
The question, then, is, can acqui
red insanity, dementia, and the
minor nervous diseases, be trans
mitted to progeny?
This is still muted point, but
the majority of evidence, leads tc
the affirmative.
If this be accepted, then there is
no city of refuge for the third and
fourth generation of those that for.
get God. But there is possibili,
ty of improvement and perhaps
entire regeneration for such prog
eny were they to avoid he various
causes, (some of which will pro
coed to enumerate, though there
are othersO which time and space
forbid their mention Before do
ing which will say en- pasant, that
the reading public is already in
possession of many of the civic
evils of the degenerate sons and
daughters of wicked parents.
In this great country, sickness
and crime appear to be on the in
crease, by being continuously plac
ed before the eyes of the reading
public.
Why even to read certain paper
published daily at the Queen City
where tabulations of drunkenness,
friviolity and crime, causes shud
der; makes one to think, that the
morals of the country are fast ED
bling away and the population go
ing shoots, spurs and dragon" to =
hades.
In fact I have made up my mind
if that paper does not change its
course and cease to publish "Gath's'
letters, to quit borrowing it.